More Dangerous Than Ever

More Dangerous Than Ever, a new report from Transform Don’t Trash NYC, finds that crashes in the commercial sanitation industry have doubled over the last two years. The report reveals that the top 20 carters had 67 crashes in the last two years, up from 35 crashes during the previous two-year period. The new findings show that the industry is getting significantly more dangerous and undermining the progress that the City’s Vision Zero program is making to reduce traffic deaths.

The report is authored by ALIGN, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Teamsters Local 813, and Transportation Alternatives, all members of Transform Don’t Trash NYC.

Private carters have also routinely failed government safety inspections of their trucks. During inspections in the last two years, 55% of trucks at the top haulers were taken out of service because they were deemed too unsafe to drive. The national average was just 21%. Faulty brakes were the most common violation.

New York’s sanitation companies also lag far behind their private-sector counterparts in major West Coast cities as well as the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) fleet of trucks. The DSNY has not had a fatal crash since 2014. Private carters in Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco had just ⅓ of the crashes per driver of New York’s companies. All of these cities have already implemented extensive commercial waste reforms, similar to what New York is now pursuing.